RAMSEUR — Eastern Randolph erupted for a 5-1 advantage after two innings of play here Saturday night to double up Mooresville 6-3 and remain alive in the best-of-3 American Legion Area III opening round series.
Post 81, the 8th seeds out of the Northern Division, improved to 4-18 on the season while Post Post 66, the No. 2 seeds out of the Southern Division, dropped to 8-11 overall.
Connor Murphy had a big night at the plate for Eastern Randolph as the Chatham Charter rising senior went 2-for-3 with a run, an RBI, and a stolen base.
Christopher Morgan, a rising senior at Jordan-Matthews, gave Post 81 a 1-0 lead in the home half of the first when the lead-off batter tagged a 1-0 offering from Post 66 starter David Brannon and drove a solo home run over the fence in left field. Morgan closed 1-for-3 with a run and two RBI, the second run batted in coming as part of a four run second, the decisive outburst of the contest for ER.
Mooresville plated a run in the top of the first to tie the game at 1-1 when Andrew Martin was hit by a pitch, Dawson Salter doubled to center, and Broc Makoff lifted a sacrifice fly to center to bring in Martin. With runners at the corners and one down, Post 66 saw Post 81 douse the threat with an inning-ending double play which saw ER pitcher Thomas Boone field a roller back to the mound from Ty Stazz, throw to Zander Smith at first for an out, before Smith fired a strike to Morgan at home who tagged out an advancing Salter who tried to score from third.
Riding the huge wave of momentum, Eastern Randolph went to work with the sticks in a big way in the bottom of the second and it all started with a leadoff single to left by Clay Edmondson. Tyler Campbell followed with a walk before Cameron Kennedy, a rising senior at Chatham Charter, singled on a bunt to load the bases, and Jacob Underwood grounded out to short to bring in Edmondson to give Post 81 the lead for good at 2-1.
Eastern Randolph wasn’t finished, however, as the locals sent across three more runs behind a sacrifice fly by Morgan to left field which plated Campbell, an RBI-single to center by Murphy, a single to left by Mason Canoy, a Mooresville error, and a wild pitch which allowed Murphy to score to make the score 5-1.
Post 66 came back in the top of the fourth with a pair of runs to slice the deficit to 5-3. Salter and Makoff singled to open the frame before both scored on a two out single later in the frame by Trent Little.
Eastern Randolph answered with a run in the home half of the fourth with a run behind a leadoff walk to Canoy, a single by Smith, and an RBI-ground out from Edmondson.
Smith would hurl the final three innings and allowed just two hits while striking out two to close out the win and get the save.
Boone scattered three hits and walked just one in four innings of work to get the win. Boone allowed three runs while striking out one.
Offensively, Canoy added a 1-for-2 effort with a run and two walks while Smith was 1-for-4 and Edmondson went 1-for-4 with a run and an RBI.
Salter was 3-for-3 with a run and a double to pace Mooresville at the plate while Makoff went 1-for-2 with a run, an RBI and a sacrifice fly.
Brannon took the loss on the mound after working 1.1 innings and yielded four hits, four runs and a walk while striking out one.
James Winecoff went 3.1 innings and allowed three hits, two runs (one run) and walked six while Jake Burkett hurled the final 1.1 innings and faced just four batters.